Abstract: The Matthew Weiner papers, 1997-2007 cover Weiner’s involvement as a writer and producer with the television show The Sopranos,
seasons 4, 5 and 6, and scripts from Andy Richter Controls the Universe, and The Naked Truth. The collection primarily consists
of scripts, outlines and handwritten episode notes from The Sopranos.

Language of Material: English

Access

Available by appointment only.

Publication Rights

The responsibility to secure copyright and publication permission rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

Matthew Weiner papers. Writers Guild Foundation Archive

Acquisition Information

Gift of Matthew Weiner, 2011

Biography/Administrative History

Matthew Weiner is the series creator and executive producer of the critically acclaimed award-winning drama Mad Men. Since
the series premiere in 2007, Weiner has been nominated for nine Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and won three
times. Additionally, he received Directors Guild nominations for his efforts behind the camera on “Meditations in an Emergency”
in season two and the season three finale, “Shut the Door. Have a Seat." Prior to Mad Men, Weiner served as an executive
producer and writer on The Sopranos, which won the Emmy in 2004 and 2006 for Outstanding Drama Series and also garnered Weiner
an Emmy nomination with Terence Winter for Outstanding Writing in the 2004 episode “Unidentified Black Males.” He earned
another Emmy nomination in 2007 for writing the episode “Kennedy and Heidi” with David Chase, and won a 2007 Writers Guild
Award for the series and three PGA Golden Laurel Awards for Television Producer of the Year in Episodic. Before working on
The Sopranos, Weiner wrote for various television series, including The Naked Truth, Becker, and Andy Richter Controls the
Universe. He also wrote and directed the independent feature, WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?(1996).

Scope and Content of Collection

The Matthew Weiner papers are arranged in two series with items dating from 1997-2007. Series I contains television scripts
dating from 1997-2007 and is divided into Subseries A-The Sopranos, 2002-2007; Subseries B-Andy Richter Controls the Universe,
2002-2003 (all Andy Richter scripts are available in the WGF Library); and Subseries C-The Naked Truth, 1997-1998. The scripts
in Series I are in various draft stages, and many include hand-written annotations from Matthew Weiner. Highlights of the
series include several pages of hand-written legal-pad notes with insights into the development of the storylines and characters,
a production draft of The Sopranos series finale “Made in America,” and two unaired episodes of Andy Richter Controls the
Universe.
Series II contains production materials and correspondence. Subseries A consists of research materials from The Sopranos,
2002-2006. Highlights of this series include conversation transcripts with Sopranos research consultants and research notes
on the psychological influences of series protagonist, Tony Soprano.